Chapter 350 A Good Match

Chapter 350: A Fine Match

Grand Tutor Lin shook with rage all over, his gray-streaked beard trembling.

He pointed in the direction of the Northern Di envoys outside the hall, his voice hoarse from sheer rage.

"This is a monstrous disgrace! Your Majesty, I beg you to behead the envoy on the spot as a warning to others!

The sons of Great Zhou would rather stain the battlefield with blood than suffer such a degrading insult!"

Before he could finish, he couldn't catch his breath, his vision went black, he swayed, and nearly passed out on the spot.

Luckily, a colleague nearby was quick-eyed and swift-handed, stepping forward to support him, patting his back to help him breathe and murmuring words of comfort. The hall was instantly thrown into chaos.

Wu Zhongzi also stepped forward, his face flushed with indignation, and chimed in: "Your Majesty!

Grand Tutor Lin is absolutely right! This Northern Di proposal isn't a bid for peace—it's outright provocation and humiliation!

If we accept this term, what face will Great Zhou have left? Where does the court's authority go? The whole world will laugh at us!"

Yet, amid the wave of righteous outrage, there was always one dissenting voice.

Liu Wenzheng, the Right Vice Minister of Personnel who had just been trading barbs with Wu Zhongzi, now gave a sly roll of his eyes, stepped forward, bowed with his ceremonial tablet in hand, and spoke with a tone of affected gravity:

"Your Majesty, this official believes... this matter may be open to discussion."

The instant those words left his mouth, countless stares of shock and fury turned on him.

Liu Wenzheng, completely unflustered, continued: "The Northern Di are powerful. Though they now seek peace on their own initiative, their wolf-like ambitions are far from dead.

If we throw away the chance for peace between our two nations over a single person, rekindling the flames of war, sending the border up in smoke, and plunging the people into misery... wouldn't that be penny-wise and pound-foolish?"

He deliberately avoided saying "Lin Nanshu," referring to him only as "a single person," as if he were just a commodity to be weighed for profit and loss.

"Moreover, Wuliji is a fierce general of the Northern Di. If we can win his loyalty in exchange for one person, maybe we can eliminate a major border threat.

Eldest Young Master Lin, being a man of great moral principle, would surely—for the sake of family and country—understand the court's predicament."

The words sounded noble and grand, but the cold, calculating scheme beneath them made many officials knit their brows.

"Liu Wenzheng! You've gone too far!" Wu Zhongzi's face turned livid with rage as he bellowed, "Eldest Young Master Lin is the legitimate heir of a great house—not some object to be handed over on a whim! Your words are no different from selling out your country!"

"Why must Censor Wu get so worked up? This humble official is just speaking to the facts, thinking of the welfare of our land and people..."

"A fine 'welfare of our land and people' indeed! I think you are—"

"That's enough!" Zhou Mingqi, seated upright on the dragon throne, finally spoke. His voice was low, but carried an unyielding authority that instantly quelled all the quarreling.

His gaze swept across his ministers, each wearing a different expression, and a flicker of complex emotion passed through the depths of his eyes.

"Summon the Northern Di envoy to the court."

The command passed down through the ranks, and before long, an envoy dressed in Northern Di attire, wearing a fur cap, entered the Golden Bell Hall with a slight hunch and hurried steps.

While waiting outside for the summons, he had vaguely overheard Grand Tutor Lin's frantic roar demanding the envoy's "immediate execution," and fine beads of cold sweat had already formed on his forehead, and his back felt cold.

Though he kept telling himself that Great Zhou, which prided itself on being a land of civility, would surely never stoop to the barbaric act of killing an envoy, facing the piercing stares of the entire court that seemed to bore right through him, he couldn't help but feel his legs go weak.

He forced himself to remain composed, walked to the foot of the imperial steps, and bowed according to Northern Di custom.

"Agula, a humble foreign minister, greets the Great Zhou Emperor and wishes His Majesty good health!"

Zhou Mingqi looked down at him from his elevated position, not immediately telling him to rise, but said calmly: "We and Our ministers have already reviewed your nation's peace proposal."

Agula's heart clenched, and he bowed his head even lower.

Zhou Mingqi continued, his tone even but carrying undeniable weight.

"Diplomatic ties between our nations concern the welfare of countless common folk—this is no game. The terms, naturally, are open to negotiation."

He subtly shifted his words, landing on the most sensitive issue: "As for this marriage alliance... it is a happy occasion that joins two families in wedlock, and thus requires even greater caution."

He paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over Grand Tutor Lin, whose face was still grim, and his tone grew more diplomatic, yet also clearer.

"Among the noble families and officials of Great Zhou, there are countless virtuous and refined young ladies of marrying age—all well-read, sensible, and perfect in virtue, appearance, speech, and conduct.

Since your General Wuliji so admires the splendor of our Central Plains and wishes to seek a marriage alliance, if he's interested in the Lin family..."

Zhou Mingqi paused delicately here, giving everyone a moment to absorb the implication, "...in one of its young ladies, that would be quite acceptable. We would even be willing to play matchmaker and bring about a fine match."

The words were extremely tactful and proper, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

The marriage alliance was negotiable. The Lin family could even be considered. But the catch was—they needed to pick a woman!

He hoped the Northern Di would read between the lines, take the graceful out offered, and withdraw that outrageous demand.

Everyone could just treat it as a misunderstanding and find a more normal match to discuss.

The entire court, including Grand Tutor Lin who had nearly passed out from rage moments ago, held their breath, waiting for the Northern Di envoy Agula's reaction.

This was, short of throwing away all dignity, the clearest hint and biggest concession the Great Zhou Emperor could offer.

All eyes were fixed on Agula, waiting to see how he'd respond.

Agula wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling that the pressure in this Golden Bell Hall was more suffocating than facing a thousand-strong army on the battlefield.

He was just a lowly envoy, whose only task was to carry out the Khan's orders.

Though he knew the request was indeed a "little" outrageous, where there's a will, there's a way, right?

He took a deep breath, deciding to win over these Zhou people with sincerity.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Agula spoke with earnestness in his voice.

"General Wuliji is the fiercest warrior on our grasslands—he can wrestle wolves with his bare hands, and his archery can pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces away.

His tribe is one of the most powerful among the Northern Di."

The assembly thought: No need to be quite that fierce.

"And our general has always held the cultured scholars of the Central Plains in the highest esteem."

He straightened up a bit, his tone turning especially earnest: "Over the years, the general has often heard of Master Lin's reputation for brilliance while out on the grasslands.

He's heard that Master Lin is not only skilled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, but also has a noble character and an outstanding presence.

Whenever he hears merchants talk of Master Lin's literary flair, the general sighs: 'Now that's the true bearing of a noble house!'"

Agula got more and more carried away as he spoke: "The General particularly admires Master Lin's calligraphy. I hear his running script is as smooth as flowing clouds and water, and even His Majesty the Great Zhou Emperor has praised it.

And the 'Ode to Spring Snow' composed by Master Lin—the General had it specially translated into the Di language and reads it aloud often!"

Agula thought: Whatever, just pile on the praise first.

He placed both hands over his chest, making a Beidi gesture of respect: "General Wuliji's admiration for Master Lin is a warrior's genuine admiration for elegance and culture.

The General is willing to welcome him with the most solemn rites, and swears by the Eternal Blue Sky—"

Here he raised his voice: "He will marry only Master Lin, and no one else, in this lifetime."

The assembled civil and military officials exchanged bewildered looks, momentarily unsure how to respond.

Grand Tutor Lin trembled with rage: "Preposterous! Because Wuliji admires my grandson, he wants to haul him off to the grasslands?"

Wu Zhongzi also shook his head repeatedly: "How is this any different from kidnapping a young woman?"

Grand Tutor Lin pointed at Agula, fuming: "Besides, it is your Northern Di who seek peace with us!

In diplomatic relations between nations, since when is there a precedent for demanding a man in marriage? Are you mocking Great Zhou for having no men?"

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, his gray beard trembling: "And even if we set that aside—you say admiration means you get to propose marriage? Then if your Great Khan's general one day claims to admire our Crown Prince, would he also demand to marry him?"

The entire hall drew in a collective hiss of breath. Even the elder statesmen who had been resting with closed eyes snapped their eyes open in shock.

Several officials instinctively glanced toward the Crown Prince, then quickly lowered their heads, their shoulders twitching slightly.

Zhou Zhan, standing below the imperial steps, jerked his head up upon hearing these words, a sudden chill running down his spine.

Agula was stunned by such an outrageous question, his mouth hanging open, unable to speak for a good long while.

"This... this honored minister is going too far! We Northern Di have nothing but reverence for the Crown Prince, no other intentions!

Wuliji's feelings for Master Lin are genuine—there's no insult intended."

Grand Tutor Lin shot right back: "Envoy, you're mistaken! I too have admired your Great Khan for many years, having long heard of his great ambitions and brilliant leadership."

Growing more impassioned, he bowed deeply to Zhou Mingqi on the dragon throne: "Your Majesty! This old minister is willing to sacrifice his own person for the sake of diplomatic relations!

As the saying goes, courtesy requires reciprocity. Since we are to forge ties between our nations, why not have the Northern Di Great Khan come marry me? I shall treat him with complete sincerity and total devotion!"

Someone let out a snort of laughter, unable to hold it in, plunging the entire hall into an awkward silence.

Every official lowered their heads, lips pressed tight, shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Even the eunuchs standing nearby pinched their thighs hard to keep from bursting out laughing.

Agula stood dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open, unable to close it.

He had imagined the Great Zhou officials would rage, refuse, or even kick him out of the hall, but he had never anticipated such a "turning of the tables."

"Th-this... honored minister..." Agula stammered, "th-this... our Great Khan is already fifty-eight, you know..."

"Perfect!" Grand Tutor Lin flicked his sleeve with righteous indignation. "I am sixty-five—we're about the same age, so we'll have plenty to talk about! Don't you people on the grasslands respect your elders the most?"

The more he spoke, the more brilliant he thought his own idea was. He turned and bowed deeply to Zhou Mingqi:

"Your Majesty, this old minister is willing to sacrifice his own comfort for the sake of diplomatic relations.

Please issue a decree ordering the Northern Di Great Khan to come marry me! I'll treat him with all the respect due a first wife, no favoritism at all!"

Zhou Mingqi sat upright on the dragon throne, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly, not knowing what to say.

Zhou Zhan, standing beside the imperial steps, quietly turned his face away, hiding half of it behind his sleeve.

Agula was drenched in cold sweat, stammering frantically: "Esteemed official, we Northern Di... our Great Khan... he... he already has three Khaduns..."

"No matter!" Grand Tutor Lin waved his hand grandly, acting very magnanimous. "Great Zhou allows a man to have multiple wives; I get it.

Have him bring all three along—I'll treat them well! They will experience the hospitality of our great nation!"

"But... but..." Agula felt like he was about to pass out, "our Great Khan... he likes women, you know..."

Grand Tutor Lin gave a look that said "isn't it obvious?" and stroked his beard: "Feelings can develop over time. Though I'm a bit old, I know my poetry and literature—I can teach your Great Khan about Central Plains culture."

Agula was left speechless, his face turning the color of a pig's liver.

At that moment, Liu Wenzheng, Vice Minister of Personnel, cleared his throat and stepped out again:

"Your Majesty, after listening carefully to the envoy, I think General Wuliji's sincerity is indeed genuine.

Since the General so admires Master Lin's talents, perhaps... this could be a good match after all?"

At these words, the officials exchanged looks of all kinds.

Those who had been whispering fell silent instantly, each looking down at their own noses, but their minds were racing.

The Second Prince's faction was acting really strange today, repeatedly pushing for this absurd marriage—clearly targeting the Lin family.

But the Lin family's influence in court was deeply entrenched, and they had always remained neutral. Why would the Second Prince make such an enemy?

Zhou Mingqi sat on the dragon throne, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest.

His gaze swept between Liu Wenzheng and Grand Tutor Lin, finally settling on the Second Prince standing below.

"Minister Liu," the Emperor spoke slowly, "I recall your eldest grandson just turned sixteen this year and is of marriageable age now?"

Liu Wenzheng was taken aback, wondering why the Emperor was asking this, but could only bow and reply: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhou Mingqi nodded, his tone calm: "Since Minister Liu finds this a fortunate match, why not let me play matchmaker and arrange a marriage between your eldest grandson and General Wuliji? I believe young Master Liu has a handsome face and would surely catch the General's eye."

"Your Majesty!" Liu Wenzheng dropped to his knees with a thud in fright, "My grandson is still young, and... and..."

"And what?" Zhou Mingqi raised an eyebrow. "Did Minister Liu not just say that General Wuliji's sincerity was genuine and this was a fortunate match? Why doesn't that apply to your own grandson?"

Sweat poured down Liu Wenzheng's face as he stammered, unable to get the words out.

Seeing this, the assembled officials realized the Emperor was angered, and all fell completely silent.

Zhou Mingqi ignored Liu Wenzheng, who was still on his knees, and turned to Agula: "As you can see, envoy, this match isn't suitable.

How about this: I shall select an appropriate princess from the imperial clan to marry General Wuliji, as a sign of goodwill between our nations."

Agula, seeing the Emperor's firm stance and knowing further insistence was futile, bowed and said: "This humble envoy... will obey Your Majesty's decree."

Back at the Lin residence, Lin Zhufeng, still in his court robes, strode grimly through the courtyard, making a beeline for Lin Nanshu's quarters.

The absurdity and frustration of the morning's court session still weighed on his chest, making his steps quick and urgent.

Lin Nanshu sat by the window, the afternoon sunlight filtering through bamboo shadows, casting dappled light across his pale white robes.

In his hand was a letter just opened, his gaze calm as he scanned the lines, a gentle look on his face.